As children’s birthdays pass, the occasions are celebrated with friends, gifts, treats and revelry. Dogs are cherished family members that deserve the same level of festiveness. Consider these dog birthday ideas to make the next family dog birthday party a hit with your canine companion.
Dog Birthday Party Guests
Dogs are social animals that reside in packs in the wild. If your pooch is the social butterfly of the dog park, consider having a dog birthday party at which your dog can celebrate with its four-legged friends. Start the guest list with the canine members of your extended family members’ households, and then progress to include the dogs of your closest friends and perhaps a couple of dogs from the dog park to which your dog often gravitates for a playtime romp. Some rules of thumb to follow when creating a guest list include only inviting dogs with which your dog is familiar and on friendly terms, and only invite social dogs that are likely to get along with the other canine guests. Keep the number of guests manageable, and expect the humans on the other ends of the leashes to join in the festivities as well. This will help with crowd control, and it will give you a chance to socialize with some of your friends. If your dog is not warm and friendly toward other dogs and prefers the company of humans, invite only your friends and family members who love dogs and will embrace the opportunity to celebrate the special day with your family.
Dog Birthday Party Theme
Like most parties, dog birthday ideas should be based on a theme. One of the most enjoyable details in planning your dog’s birthday party will be choosing the theme. The theme could be pirates, Disney princesses, a cartoon dog character or anything else that your creative mind conjures. Try to choose a theme that fits your dog’s unique personality. When you have chosen the theme, either purchase party invitations that exhibit the theme or create your own. Once the invitations are sent to everyone on the guest list, visit your local party goods store to purchase the appropriate themed decorations and necessary party supplies for the human guests and for the dog guests. Select enough party hats to accommodate each human guest and dog guest, and make sure that there are enough paper plates to accommodate each guest as well.
Dog Birthday Party Setting
If your dog’s birthday does not fall during the coldest winter months, you should strongly consider hosting the party in an outdoor setting to avoid elimination accidents in the house from overly excited party guests. If your yard is securely fenced to keep the largest dog safely contained, then a party at home will be the easiest option. Alternately, if your dog frequents a particular dog park, you may consider holding the party there. If the party is to take place at home, be sure to place several large water bowls around the yard, and refill the bowls frequently throughout the duration of the party. Running, playing and celebrating can make any pooch thirsty. When decorating the party zone, be sure to keep balloons and other decorations out of a dog’s reach in order to avoid ingestion. Learn here what to do in case of an emergency when your dog or one of your party guests is choking and make sure your house is pet-proof. Add to the party atmosphere by compiling a playlist of songs that are based on dogs.
Dog Birthday Cake Options
There are plenty of online recipes for baking your own dog birthday cake. Since sugar, chocolate, nuts and some other baking ingredients are hazardous to a dog’s health, avoid baking a human birthday cake mix for your dog. Top 5 dog foods to avoid. If you are feeling time constraints with planning the other details of your dog’s birthday party, consider ordering a custom-made birthday cake from a pet bakery. These venues have become increasingly popular with busy owners who wish to lavish special treats on their pets. In addition to a dog birthday cake, you will also find other unique treats that you might consider offering in goody bags for the canine party guests. Remember to furnish a human birthday cake and fun nibbles for the human guests to savor during the festivities. When serving the dog birthday cake, be sure to provide a plate to each individual dog in order to avoid incidents of greedy aggression.
Dog Birthday Party Activities
There are plenty of activity options to ponder when planning your dog’s birthday party. In addition to human guests engaging the dogs in rounds of fetching balls and catching Frisbees, plan on a couple of activities that provide fun challenges. One idea is to set up an agility course in the yard. You might host a game of bobbing for treats by placing treats in a filled kiddie pool. You may even consider holding a pet costume contest. Remind guests to engage in the activity of capturing every moment of fun with their cameras.
At the close of the party, send guests home with goody bags that contain dog cookies or toys for their furry friends and items that the human guests can use and enjoy with their dogs in mind, such a picture frame for a photograph of their dog and a coffee mug that features their dog’s breed. After the last guest has gone home, your dog will probably mimic a human toddler’s behavior after an exciting party and take a long nap, and the birthday pup will undoubtedly be dreaming of next year’s birthday party.
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